Transcript of "VoIP and Skype Security.doc"

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Skype Security Overview – Rev 1.5 - 5/6/10
VoIP and Skype Security, Simson L. Garfinkel
Introduction: VoIP and Skype
With the increased deployment of high-speed (“broadband”) Internet connectivity, a growing number of
businesses and individuals are using the Internet for voice telephony. This technique is called Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP).
All telephone systems in the world use a microphone to turn sound waves into an electrical signals and a
speaker to turn electrical signals back into sound waves at the other end. But the techniques used for
connecting microphones and speakers has seen considerable development over the past one and a
quarter centuries. Early systems connected the microphone directly to the speaker using a copper wire. In
the 1970s AT&T deployed the first systems that could transmit multiple phone calls over a single wire by
converting each phone call into a stream of digital data. VoIP systems continue this evolution by taking
independent digital streams, compressing them, breaking the streams into packets, and sending those
packets over the Internet. Naturally, the process is reversed at the receiving end.
With a VoIP system two people can speak with each other by using headsets and microphones
connected directly to their computers. Alternatively, a VoIP adapter can be used to convert electrical
signals from a standard analog telephone to Internet packets. VoIP gateways interconnect the Internet-
based systems with the world-wide Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN). Typically there is a fee for
using such gateways. Companies like Vonage sell consumers a package that includes a VoIP adapter
and use of the Vonage VoIP gateway, giving Vonage customers the illusion that they have a standard
PSTN telephone --- the only difference being that the Vonage adapter connects to a cable modem or
home network, rather than connecting to a pair of wires that leads back to the telephone company’s
central office.
There are many different and generally incompatible techniques for sending voice over the Internet. The
International Telecommunications Union standard H.225 provides for voice and video teleconferencing;
the Internet Engineering Task Force adopted an incompatible system called Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP). Cisco developed a proprietary system called the Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP). An
excellent overview of VoIP standards can be found at .
Skype is a proprietary VoIP system developed by Skype Technologies S.A., a corporation that claims to
be registered in Luxembourg. The company was founded by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom , the
same entrepreneurs who developed the popular KaZaA file trading system. Like KaZaA, Skype is based
on peer-to-peer technology: instead transmitting all voice calls through a central server, as Vonage does,
Skype clients seek out and find other Skype clients, then build from these connections a network that can
be used to search for other users and send them messages. But unlike KaZaA, which earns its revenue
from advertisements, the Skype is currently free of adware and spyware. Instead, the Skype system
earns revenue by charging for the use of the gateway that interconnects the Skype network with the
PSTN.
Skype vs. Other VoIP Systems
Several key factors distinguish Skype from other VoIP systems:
1. Skype is wildly popular. Within its first week of operation in August 2003, more than 60,000
people downloaded the Skype client. Today Skype is available for Windows, MacOS, PocketPC
and Linux, In October 2004 Skype’s creators boasted more than a million users.
2. Both the Skype software and use of the Skype network is free; there is a nominal charge for calls
made using the “Skype Out” and "SkypeIn" features that connect Skype to the PSTN network.
3. Skype is much easier to use than other VoIP systems. The Skype client is easily installed. Other
than choosing a username, no configuration is required. And unlike the SIP system used by
Vonage, Skype clients readily work behind firewalls and Network Address Translation (NAT)
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systems.
4. Skype has an astonishingly good voice compressor, giving it fidelity that in many cases
surpasses traditional telephone systems when Skype is used with a high bandwidth connection.
5. In additional to voice telephony, Skype supports instant messaging, search, and file transfer
6. Skype is encrypted. Unlike traditional telephony and other VoIP-based systems, Skype claims to
encrypt all communications with 128-bit or better cryptography ciphers, allegedly making it
impossible for someone who passively intercepts a Skype conversation from deciphering or
listening to its contents.
Skype vs. ISDN
ISDN is another form of digital telephony system that is popular in Europe and Asia. ISDN is similar to
VoIP in that voice is digitized before it is sent over the network, and because ISDN telephone lines require
special instruments in order to use them. ISDN lines can also be used for teleconferencing.
Voice calls placed over Skype are different from calls placed over ISDN telephones in several important
ways:
1. While Skype uses the Internet, ISDN uses the PSTN.
2. While Skype is encrypted, ISDN phone calls are generally not encrypted unless special-purpose
encrypting ISDN telephones or fax machines are used. (Such equipment is commercially
available but is generally restricted.)
3. While Skype is free, ISDN phone calls are rarely free.
4. Skype does not support video conferencing, a feature found on both many ISDN systems and
Apple’s iChat.
Overall, Skype appears to be an exceptional value for individuals and organizations that need high quality
voice communications and have access to broadband Internet service.
Skype vs. Peer-to-Peer
Although Skype uses peer-to-peer communications for locating other Skype users and for transmitting
voice communications, there are many aspects to Skype that make it different from a "pure" peer-to-peer
system:
1. Skype relies on a central authentication server to authenticate users and software distributions.
According to Skype's publicist, both user identities and software distributions are digitally signed
by an RSA private key. The matching RSA public key is embedded into every Skype executable.
2. Some Skype "peers" are actually "super-nodes." When Skype is run on a computer that has a
public IP address and is not otherwise behind a firewall, it can become a "super-node." These
computers are used as rendezvous points so that computers behind firewalls can receive
connections from other Skype users. Although Skype refuses to explain the details of their
protocol, it is likely that computers behind firewalls scan the Internet looking for super-nodes, then
form and maintain long-term connections with these other computers. The super-nodes then
proxy connections to the encumbered connections behind the firewalls.
3. When the SkypeIn or SkypeOut features are used, these communications necessarily go through
Skype's servers located in various countries and dialing areas.
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Skype vs. KaZaA
KaZaA is a popular file trading program. Although some of the files that are traded over KaZaA are
exchanged with the permission of the copyright holders, it appears that the primary use of KaZaA appears
to be the illegal exchange of copyrighted songs and movies.
KaZaA and Skype appear to be related businesses. The companies were founded by the same
individuals, there appears to be an overlap in the technical staffs, and much of the technology employed
in Skype was originally developed for use in KaZaA. Version 3.0 of the KaZaA includes a Skype client;
KaZaA 3.0 can make and receive voice calls through the Skype network.
Two versions of KaZaA are distributed. A free version of the program is supported through advertising,
while a version costing approximately US$25 is distributed that does not have advertising. The
advertisements displayed in the free version of KaZaA are displayed by software developed by a
company called GAIN. This software has often been called “spyware” because it monitors the websites
that a computer user visits and displays advertisements related to the website. KaZaA disputes the claim
that GAIN is spyware: they assert that the program does not capture keystrokes, analyize files on the
users’ hard disk, or report user-identifiable information back to third parties. What’s more, the software
can be easily removed using the standard Windows Add/Remove feature.
It seems unlikely that GAIN has an impact on either the privacy or the security of phone calls made from
Skype users to KaZaA 3.0 users: there is no practical way that the contents of a conversation could be
“data mined” for displaying of targeted advertisements without having them monitored by a human being,
and the cost of such monitoring would be prohibitive compared to any possible advertising revenues.
Nevertheless, Open Society organizations should avoid using KaZaA in general. Because KaZaA is used
primarily to trade files against the wishes of copyright owners, it is highly likely that the users of computers
running KaZaA will accumulate illegal copies of songs and movies. It is ill-advised for any organization to
permit such information to be present on its computer systems because of the potential legal liability that
such collections present.
Skype over Dial-Up
Skype was tested over an analog telephone line connected to a dial-up ISP at 26kbps. At this speed
Skype's voice quality was significantly degraded. However, Skype did provide acceptable voice quality for
a two-way phone conversation that could be understood.
In order to be used over a dial-up telephone line, it is advisable to turn off all other programs that might
also try to use the Internet connection. Internet browsers and programs that check mail should be exited,
for example. Skype will also work better if the conversant are careful to avoid speaking at the same time,
as this will minimize bandwidth requirements.
Used in this manner over a low-speed dial-up line, Skype offers sound quality that is noticeably inferior to
a normal analog telephone lines. Nevertheless, Skype still has the advantage of low-cost and security as
the result of encryption. In situations where international calls are prohibitively expensive or where
eavesdropping by government or telecommunications officials is a serious concern, this use of Skype
should be encouraged.
Skype Security
Is Skype secure? Is the program safe to use? Is Skype more secure than a telephone call made with an
analog or ISDN telephone? How does the security of Skype compare with other VoIP-based systems?
Answering these questions is difficult. Security is not some abstract quality that can be analyzed in
isolation: to evaluate the security of Skype it is necessary to consider specific threats and to then to
determine whether or not the design or operation of Skype will protect from those threats.
What’s more, a security analysis of Skype is complicated by several factors. First, the overall security of a
Skype conversation depends on many factors, including the security of the computer on which Skype is
running and the network over which the Skype conversation follows. Second, because the Skype protocol
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is both proprietary and secret, the only sources of information are statements from the company about its
security and what can be found by reverse-engineering the software. Third, because Skype is mostly a
peer-to-peer system, the overall security can be affected by third parties that are in the network (but that
are unknown to those in a particular phone conversation). Finally, because the Skype program can
update itself every time it runs, the security over the overall system can change without warning or even a
change in appearance.
For a civil society organization relying on Skype for voice communications, the following security
properties are of key importance:
Privacy Does the Skype system allow an outsider to eavesdrop on a conversation?
Authenticity If you initiate a Skype conversation with another user, are you sure that you are reaching
the user whose username you specify?
Availability Does Skype always work if both participants are on the Internet, or can there be cases
were you cannot see another Skype user, even if both are logged in? Can an in-progress
conversation be interrupted?
Survivability If the network or Skype infrastructure is disrupted or otherwise damaged, can Skype
users continue to communicate while the network is damaged?
Resilience If the network or Skype infrastructure is disrupted or otherwise damaged to the point that
Skype does not function, can Skype users quickly reestablish communication with each
other?
Integrity (Conversation) Does Skype loose bits of a conversation in progress? Are files that are
transmitted delivered intact?
Integrity (System) How does the use of Skype affect other applications running on the user's
computer and network? Other peer-to-peer programs come with spyware; does Skype?
In an attempt to answer these questions, I exchanged a series of email messages with Kat James,
Skype’s designated public relations contact for national media in the United States, Toivo Annus, a Skype
developer, and Kelly Larabee, another Skype press officer. I also had a brief telephone call with Kelly
Larabee. I also performed a preliminary analysis of the over-the-wire Skype protocol by capturing all of
the packets sent to or from a computer running the Skype software before, during and after a Skype call
was made.
Privacy
In line with the claims of its creators, Skype appears to encrypt or otherwise scramble information that is
transmitted over the Internet. That is, in analyzing the packets of the communication, I was not able to
easily view the unencrypted plaintext of my communications. But while I can confidently state that Skype
is secure against casual snooping, I cannot say if Skype is secure against a sophisticated attacker.
The security of data sent over an encrypted or scrambled connection depends on many factors, including
the specific encryption or scrambling algorithms used, how encryption keys are chosen or exchanged
(known as key management), the implementation of the algorithms, the protocol that employs the
algorithms, and the implementation of the algorithms and protocols in the software.
An analysis of the packets sent between Skype clients indicates that a combination of protocols are used
for registering on the network, searching for other participants, and performing a voice telephone call. The
program appears to use a version of the HTTP protocol to communicate with the Skype server
“ui.skype.com” (apparently located in Amsterdam) to perform username/password authentication and
register with the Skype directory server. A modified version of the HTTP protocol is used for
communicating with other Skype clients. Finally, an encrypted, proprietary conversation is used for
transmitting voice, instant messages, and files.
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Using a Macintosh running Skype, I placed a call from Boston, Massachusetts, USA to Budapest,
Hungary, over which several instant messages were sent and a file was transferred. All packets were
captured. Analyzing the packets I learned that my Skype client in Boston first contacted a computer in the
United Kingdom, apparently to check to see if it had the latest version of the Skype client, then to conduct
a search of the Skype network for my desired respondent.
(The techniques that Skype uses for searching and directory management are similar to a system called
PeerEnabler from Joltid, a company that “consist of the original management and development team
behind KaZaA and the FastTrack peer-to-peer network.” Skype's media contacts insist that Skype does
not actually use the PeerEnabler or FastTrack network, but instead uses a different program that
accomplishes similar features.)
After the search completed, a series of packets were exchanged with the destination computer in
Hungary for the duration of the call. All of these packets were indecipherable to me. This could be
because they were encrypted, otherwise scrambled, or simply compressed with an undocumented
compression system.
My conclusion from an analysis of the captured packets is that while the actual communications between
Skype clients appears to be encrypted, searches conducted on behalf of Skype users --- including
searches necessary to initiate Skype calls --- are observable by the Skype network. This means that it
should be possible for even unprivileged participants of the network to perform traffic analysis and
determine when one user calls another user. It is unknown if the design of the Skype network makes it
possible for some nodes to monitor all searches and call set-up traffic, or if instead each node would only
see a portion of the overall traffic.
What if Skype Really Does Use Encryption?
Skype claims that its system uses the RSA encryption algorithm for key exchange and 256-bit AES as its
bulk encryption algorithm. However, Skype does not publish its key exchange algorithm or its over-the-
wire protocol and, despite repeated requests, refused to explain the underlying design of its certificates, is
authentication system, or its encryption implementation. Therefore it is impossible to validate the
company's claims regarding encryption. It is entirely possible that the data is both encrypted and not
secure.
Even if the Skype protocol does provide for encryption, it is possible that the Skype system could transmit
the encryption keys with the voice channel (perhaps encrypted with another set of keys), or else archive
the keys on the user’s hard disk. Access to these encryption keys would make it possible for a third-party
to decode a recorded Skype conversation. Such key escrow capabilities could be built into Skype either
for testing purposes or at the request of either police or intelligence services. Even if Skype does not
currently have such monitoring features, they could be added to Skype at some future point in time and
the modified client then distributed over the Skype network --- either to all users, or else to users that had
been specifically chosen to meet some criteria.
Skype could use encryption, but use it poorly. Even though Skype really does use RSA, a poor
implementation of the algorithm could provide no actual security. Because Skype has not published its
protocol, it is not possible to say if the protocol that uses RSA is secure or not.
These concerns need to be taken in context. A conversation on Skype is vastly more private than a
conversation using a traditional analog or ISDN telephone. Those conversations can be monitored by
anyone who has physical access to the telephone line at any point between either party.
Skype's "Encryption" in Context
Skype is also more secure than today’s VoIP systems, since encryption is not part of most VoIP offerings.
However, it is possible to protect a VoIP conversation by running the VoIP traffic over a Virtual Private
Network. A system using VoIP over a VPN is probably more secure than Skype, assuming that the VPN
was properly configured.
It is important to realize that the security of Skype can be subverted through the use of spyware or other
kinds of monitoring programs running on the user’s computer. For example, programs like Netbus and
Back Orifice can allow an outsider to turn on the microphone of a PC and transmit the audio to a remote
location on the Internet. Such a program could spy not only on a Skype conversation, but on every other
conversation taking place inside a room where a computer running the program was located.
There are other privacy concerns with Skype that users should be aware of:
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• Although the Skype client does not appear to log or record voice conversations, it does have the
ability to record IM conversations in a per-user “history” file. Skype enables history recording by
default, meaning that all IM conversations are recorded unless users take other action. These
files could be retrieved through the use of spyware, other remote-control applications, or by an
adversary who gains physical possession of a computer system.
• Because all Skype users are logged into the same “cloud,” any Skype user can usually discover if
any other Skype user is logged on at a given instant.
• It appears that Skype attempts to send packets directly over the Internet between participants in a
conversation, but if a direct path is not directly possible it appears that Skype will instead send the
packets through other computers running Skype. These intermediate computers are called
“supernodes.”
It is not known if a supernode can monitor the voice traffic moving through it. Skype's
representatives claim that such monitoring is not possible due to the use of encryption. It may be
that such monitoring is in fact impossible. It may be that Skype's employees think that such
monitoring is impossible, but that there is a flaw in their protocol or system design that makes
monitoring possible. Many such flaws have been found in other cryptographic protocols after they
have been deployed.
• The SkypeIn and Skype Out services may use encryption to the Skype gateways, but at that point
the telephone calls are decrypted and sent over the standard public switch telephone network. At
this point the calls are subject to both illegal and to court-ordered monitoring.
Finally, it must be remembered that the security of the Skype system also depends entirely on the good
will of Skype’s programmers and the organization running Skype’s back-end servers. It is possible that
there are back doors in the system allowing the Skype organization or others to eavesdrop or record
Skype conversations. Skype's developers could even put a back-door in the system that could use the
program to turn on a computer's microphone and either record the room's noise on the computer's hard
drive or send the data over the Internet to another location. Such back-doors and trap-doors could be put
in every Skype program or it the feature could be added to the Skype programs on the computers of
specific users.
Authenticity
Every Skype user has a username and a password. Each username has a registered email address. In
order to log into the Skype system the user must provide their username and password. If the password is
lost, Skype will change the user’s password and send the new password to the user’s registered email
address. This approach is called Email Based Identification and Authentication. The Skype client also
has the ability to “remember” a username and password and log in automatically.
An added complication with Skype is the Skype network. It appears that the network is used by Skype to
perform username/password verification, but it isn’t clear how this is done. For example, hosts on the
Skype network could relay the encrypted username/password combination back to Skype’s servers for
approval. Alternatively, they could relay an unencrypted username/password combination. Alternatively,
the Skype network may not be involved at all, and the communications between various Skype clients
may serve another purpose. However, if the Skype network is involved, several attacks may be possible:
• It may be possible for a malicious Skype client to learn the username/ combination of registered
Skype users.
• If a Skype user accesses the Skype network through a malicious Internet Service Provider, it
may be possible for the ISP to direct that user’s Skype communications to the malicious Skype
node. Thus, it may be possible for a malicious ISP to learn any of their user’s Skype passwords.
• Alternatively, it may be possible for a malicious node to fake a valid authentication, allowing a
client to log in with a particular Skype username even though the password for that username is
not known.
Because Skype is a voice communications system, its users can frequently identify a person that they are
communicating with by the sound of the other voice. Voice is a biometric. This layer is absent, however, if
Skype is used only for text messaging and exchanging files.
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Under normal circumstances, it would appear that Skype’s authentication system provides similar levels
of authentication as other username/password systems --- such as AOL or HotMail. That is, most people
have control of their accounts, but sometimes an adversary can learn a target’s password by guessing,
through social engineering, through the user of keystroke loggers, or by intercepting email used for
password recovery. Likewise, administrators of the computer can leak passwords, reset passwords, and
otherwise empower attackers to impersonate users. While there is a good chance that the person at the
other end of a Skype username is in fact the person who has previously used that username, there is no
assurance of this fact.
Availability
One of the great triumphs of 20th Century engineering was the astounding availability of the Public
Switched Telephone Network. In many regions customers have come to expect downtimes of five minute
per customer per year or less — the equivalent of 99.99905% availability.
Although the original design of the Internet was to allow the network to survive the loss of critical links
(see “Survivability” below), availability has only recently become a goal of Internet equipment
manufacturers and providers. Internet service is, in general, inferior to telephone service. Thus, it is likely
that any Internet telephony service will offer inferior availability to the PSTN. (Some commentators have
noted that PSTN availability seems to be decreasing with deregulation, and that availability of a single
system is less important given the prevalence of multiple overlapping mobile phone networks.)
Additional factors may compromise Skype’s potential availability. Since the Skype client depends on
verifying username/passwords, it may be the case that the entire Skype network will cease to function if
Skype’s authentication servers fail or become otherwise unavailable. Existing VoIP systems do not have
this problem, although systems that rely on a single gateway service will experience global failure if the
gateway fails. (For example, all Vonage customers will lose their phone service if the Vonage gateway
fails.)
Survivability
It is often said that the Internet was designed to withstand an atomic bomb. The truth is that packet
switched networks were designed to make it possible for communications between nodes in a network to
continue even if the direct connection between those two nodes were destroyed. The ability of a system
to continue to operate after it has been degraded is known as survivability.
The Internet’s design allows Internet providers to choose how survivable they wish to make their
networks. If an organization connects its mail server to the Internet with a single DSL line and that DSL
line fails, email service will not survive. On the other hand, if an organization procures two DSL lines,
email service can survive any single DSL line’s interruption. Survivable systems are generally more
expensive than systems with a single point of failure. What’s more, systems that are survivable rarely
provide better day-to-day performance than systems that are not. As a result, most Internet users and
many Internet service providers have not deployed systems that can withstand the arbitrary failure of one
or more components.
It is not known if Skype's authentication servers can survive network disruptions or attacks.
Resilience
Packet switch networks are extraordinarily resilient. In many cases Internet connections can be restored
more quickly than traditional telephone networks through the use of wireless networking products. An
added benefit of Skype and other VoIP-based systems is that these systems were designed with mobile
users in mind: They are highly tolerant of a user’s IP address changing from day-to-day.
As a result, Skype and other VoIP-based systems are generally very resilient to local network disruption.
If a building’s network connection fails, just take your computer or VoIP telephone to another location and
plug it in. As long as your computer can register with the Skype network, you will be able to receive calls
at your new location.
On the other hand, Skype clients almost certainly could not operate if Skype’s backend authentication
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network were to become unavailable. This could happen as the result of network destruction, some kind
of hacker attack, a hostile insider, or even the failure of the parent corporation. In such a case the Skype
network could become unavailable to some or all Skype users.
Integrity (Conversation)
Skype’s integrity provisions are completely unknown. It’s possible for speech spoken over the Skype
system to be dropped or garbled before reaching the other end. Likewise, Skype makes no guarantees
that Instant Messages or files will be delivered as they were transmitted.
In practice, however, Skype seems to do a good job faithfully transmitting voice, and messages and files
appear to be delivered without corruption. One exception to this rule appears to be when Skype is used
over an 802.11 wireless network. In this case, voice quality suffers considerably.
Integrity (System)
Network administrators are understandably concerned when users download and run software that might
have wide-ranging implications. Many universities, for example, have complained that students running
the KaZaA peer-to-peer file transfer system both consumer large amounts of bandwidth and potentially
open up the school to lawsuits from aggrieved copyright holders. KaZaA users may also share the
contents of their computers without their own knowledge.
Because Skype conversations are limited to voice, the total load that a Skype "supernode" could put on a
network would be equal to twice the number of conversations that a supernode would proxy at any given
time times the bandwidth required for a single voice conversation. It's not known how high this limit is.
Skype could also be an infection vector for spyware. Although the program's creators promise that their
program does not come with spyware or adware, it is possible that they are not being truthful or that their
policy will change in the future. Skype could have security vulnerabilities that a third-party could exploit.
It should be noted that many of the risks posed by Skype are no different than the risks posed by email
and other person-to-person communications medium. Indeed, Skype probably poses fewer risks to
overall system integrity simply because the primary use of Skype is for voice communications. Care must
be taken, however, when Skype is used to exchange files. Compared with KaZaA and other file trading
programs, Skype poses less risk because the exchange is always with specific individuals, rather than
files that are located through searching and downloaded from potentially anonymous sources. On the
other hand, Skype poses more risk because programs like KaZaA have built-in anti-virus protection that
scans programs as they are downloaded; Skype appears to have no such protection.
Recommendations
Overall, Skype appears to offer significantly more security than conventional analog or ISDN voice
communications, but less security than VoIP systems running over virtual private networks (VPNs). It is
likely that the Skype system could be compromised by an exceedingly capable engineer with experience
in reverse engineering, or by a suitably-motivated insider.
When using Skype, the following recommendations may be helpful:
1. Make sure that any computer used for Skype is free of all spyware, adware, remote-control
programs, worms, and computer viruses. All PCs running the Windows operating system should
be equipped with up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
a. A free anti-virus program is available from http://www.grisoft.com/
b. A free anti-spyware program is available from http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
c. Although there is probably little risk at using Skype to communicate with KaZaA 3.0
users, KaZaA 3.0 should not be used as a substitute for Skype given the potential liability
created by the exchange of copyrighted files without the permission fo the copyright
holder.
2. The username/password combination used for Skype shouldn’t be used for anything else.
3. The username used for Skype shouldn’t be readily identifiable. It should have no relationship to
the user’s name, organization or occupation.
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4. Both Skype usernames and passwords should be changed on a regular basis if the Skype
network is used for any kind of sensitive discussions. Changing usernames makes it harder for an
adversary to track the actions of the user. Changing passwords reduces the window during
which a compromised password will be useful.
5. Skype users should assume the Skype system could become permanently unavailable at any
moment. As a result, they should always have alternative techniques for contacting each other.
6. Do not assume that the person behind a Skype username today is the same person that it was
yesterday. Somebody could be sitting down at your associates computer and using Skype without
their permission, or their account may have been hijacked. Always independently verify the
identiy of a person that you are communicating with if sensitive material is going to be
exchanged.
7. Although Skype insists that it’s voice system cannot transfer a virus, there is no evidence of this
claim. In particular, a buffer-overflow in the voice decoder would enable another Skype user to
execute commands on any system that the user was in contact with. Furthermore, Skype can be
used to transfer files; these files can contain viruses or spyware.
8. Remember, just because Skype is apparently encrypted, the conversation is decrypted at the
other end. There is no way to assure that the person you are communicating with is not,
themselves, recording the conversation in which you are engaging. Using encrypted
communications is no substitute for being careful about what you say.
References
[1] Charny, Ben, “Why VoIP is music to Kazaa’s ear,” September 11, 2003.
http://news.com.com/Why+VoIP+is+music+to+Kazaa's+ear/2008-1082_3-5074558.html
[2] Garfinkel, Simson. “Email-Based Identification and Authentication: An Alternative to
PKI?,” IEEE Security and Privacy, November/December 2003.
[3] Good, Nathaniel S., Krekelberg, Aaron, Usability and privacy: a study of Kazaa P2P file-
sharing. HP Labs: Tech Report: HPL-2002-163.
[4] James, Kat. “Re: Press query from Website: need press contact.” October 17, 2004.
Personal communication.
[5] Joltid, “Joltid / Company,” Accessed October 26, 2004.
http://www.joltid.com/index.php/company/
[6] Protocols.com, “Voice Over IP,” http://www.protocols.com/pbook/VoIPFamily.htm
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